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Classical Christian
Homeschooling:
Classical Education
at Home
WebMaster:
Christine Miller
Classical Christian
Homeschooling Online Catalog: 1st Grade History: Ancient World
www.clas...ling.org/
curriculum/
history-1.html
This page last revised:
July 2003
Copyright
© 1997-2003
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Grammar Stage History
for 1st Grade: The Ancient World
This page: Genesis and Job, The Beginning
Begin a study of Western Civilization with the foundation for all of history, the book of Genesis. A proper understanding of our beginning is also vital to build a Biblical worldview in our children.
Next page: Ancient Egypt and the Near East
The book of Genesis closes with Joseph and the Israelites soujourning in Egypt, and a study of ancient Egyptian civilization is next in the chronology of Western Civilization. The Ancient Near East is overlooked by many curricula, but the civilizations of the Sumerians, the Assyrians, the Phoenicians, the Hittites, the Babylonians, and the Persians were just as powerful and influential as Egypt, and play the major role in the unfolding of Old Testament history.
The Ancient World for Older Students
If you are beginning classical education or homeschooling with older grammar stage students, or need resources to fill in the facts of history with dialectic and rhetoric stage students, these will do that at a higher reading level.
Ancient World Teacher’s Resources
The true history of the ancient world is misrepresented in many curricula, and many of us were probably not taught it ourselves. Here are the essential materials to help the homeschool parent correct that lack.
Genesis and Job: The Beginning
Genesis and Job
Genesis and Job is your narrative history spine for this section of the history study. Read the stories outloud to your children from the Holy Bible, using Family References as desired, or from a Bible storybook. Job is one of the oldest books of the Bible, and probably takes place in the years following Babel, but before Abraham, while ice age conditions precipitated by Noah’s Flood were prevalent in the north.
At the proper places in the narrative, set aside the biblical account for a day or two and read the following books to your children. (The proper place is indicated in each book's description.) They elaborate on the events described in the biblical account, and were chosen specifically to answer children’s questions about origins, cavemen, dinosaurs, the ice age, and other topics which they have no doubt absorbed from television and their friends concerning the early history of the earth.
 Creation Story
Norman Messenger, illustrator, and DK Publishers
This beautiful picture book of the seven days of creation celebrates the origins of our abundant planet. Combining amazingly detailed illustrations with the contemporary, easy-to-understand words of the New Living Translation, The Creation Story vividly brings to life the favorite Bible story taken from Genesis. Readers of all ages will marvel at the wonders of God's intricate creation. Parents, keep in mind that today’s society has relegated the events of the first 11 chapters of Genesis to the category of “story”, the same category that “fairy stories” are in. But the events of creation are “His story”: history. Remember while you are reading that you are really reading The Creation History, not merely The Creation Story!
Introduce this book following Genesis chapter 1-2. Mention that Genesis chapter 1 is God’s own account of creation, who was the only One there and in a position to know what happened. Genesis chapter 2 is Adam’s account of the creation, his own eyewitness account. The two accounts, from two different perspectives, differ in emphasis and detail without contradicting each other. (Parents, find more information on the historicity of the early Genesis accounts and the authorship of Genesis chapters 1-11 in the teacher’s resource, Genesis: Finding Our Roots.)
 Yellow and Pink
William Steig
A yellow and a pink puppet are lying in the sun on a newspaper. Yellow wakes up, and asks Pink how they got there. Pink doesn’t know, but after looking at their obvious workmanship, comes to the conclusion that someone must have made them. Yellow thinks this a preposterous theory, and proceeds to describe a set of hilarious, unbelievable events by which they might have arisen by chance, given enough time. Pink isn’t really convinced, and has lots of questions about Yellow’s theory, some of which Yellow admits are unanswerable. Just when the argument seems over, a man comes out, picks up the puppets, commenting, “Nice and dry,” and takes them away, humming. “Who is this guy?” whispers Yellow. This ingenious secular picture book sums up the philosophies behind the origins debate on a level easily understood by five and six year olds, coming down squarely on the side of creation.
Introduce this book at any time in the history study when your children begin asking questions about man’s evolutionary origins as presented on the news or documentary television.
Out of Print. Search AddAll.com or BookFinder.com via an author search using ‘steig’ and a title search using ‘yellow and pink;’ see also locating out of print books.
 A is for Adam
Ken & Mally Ham
This unique book is divided into three sections. The first section is an alphabet rhyme picture book, going through Genesis beginning with “A is for Adam ...” Along the way children not only learn the alphabet, but the true history of the world beginning in Genesis, and the important foundational truths in Genesis vital for a Biblical worldview and a complete understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, all in easy to remember rhyming verse. The second part of the book contains notes for parents, teachers, and older children that resembles a commentary on Genesis. Many unique concepts are discussed teaching the Gospel from Genesis and showing how foundational it is to the rest of Scripture. At the end of the notes for each illustration, you will find student exercises that can be adapted for different age levels. The third part of the book contains full-page black and white drawings of each of the color illustrations from the first part of the book, that can be photocopied for coloring sheets for home schooled children, Sunday School lessons, etc. A superior resource.
Introduce this book following Genesis chapter 3 and the conclusion of the story of the Fall of Man. The foundational concepts introduced (which are outlined in the teacher’s notes) with Scripture references from the first 11 chapters of Genesis can be added to the drill cards for Bible and History.
 D is for Dinosaur
Ken & Mally Ham
Children love dinosaurs, but every library book or book in the bookstore about them is full of evolutionary assumptions. What about God? What about the events of ancient history recorded in Genesis? This wonderful rhyming book interweaves information about dinosaurs and their place in history along with the biblical account of Genesis given in chapters 1-11. Beginning, “ABCDEFG, God made the world, it’s plain to see / HIJKLMN But did He make dinosaurs, and if so, when? OPQRSTU The Bible has the answer, God's Word is true / VWXY and Z We’ll learn the truth about history.” Following are 26 rhymes, one for each letter of the alphabet: “A is for Answers from God’s Holy Book / Just open the pages and take a good look / God created the earth, in space it did hang / Creation’s first day, without a Big Bang.” The rhymes follow the days of creation (Quick: If God made everything, when were dinosaurs created? Answer: If they were land animals, then on day six, with the rest of the land animals!) and by following Scripture, provides an awful lot of answers for kids’ questions about these “terrible lizards”. We learn that in the beginning, everything was very good, with no disease, killing, death, or sin (Genesis 1:31), that dinosaurs were originally vegetarian along with everything else in creation (Genesis 1:29-30), that as a result of the curse on creation due to sin, predation set in among animals and probably dinosaurs as well (Genesis 6:12-12), that dinosaurs were probably on Noah’s Ark since the Bible says two of EVERY kind of animal went on board (Genesis 7:2-3), that most dinosaurs according to the fossil record are the size of a sheep, that everything left outside the ark when the flood came was killed (and ended up buried in rock layers laid down by water all over the earth, and so became fossilized), and reasons for the dinosaurs’ extinction in the very different world following Noah’s Flood are explored. Children even learn that the Bible mentions “behemoth” and “leviathan”, that dragon legends might have grown up from man’s post-flood encounters with dinosaurs, and the significance of dinosaur fossils in the world today -- that they are a giant warning to man that a second judgment for sin, this time by fire, is surely coming.
Introduce this book following A is for Adam (above), or at any time in the history study when children ask, “But what about dinosaurs?”.
First graders who become interested in dinosaurs will love these additional books, as will older children: The Great Dinosaur Mystery and the Bible (2nd grade and up) explores many of the same questions dealing with dinosaurs and biblical history for older readers, and Dinosaurs by Design (3rd-4th grade and up) is a fascinating picture book, not to be missed, which describes in detail the different kinds of dinosaurs scientists have found, what they might have looked like, where they were found, what they probably ate, etc., and explores the questions concerning dinosaurs and evolutionary assumptions.
 True Story of Noah’s Ark
Tom Dooley & Bill Looney
“[This is] one of the most stunning, unique and captivating books on the account of the Ark and the global Flood of Noah’s day ever produced. Based on the account recorded in Genesis 6-9 in the Bible, the narrative is true to the biblical record and its timeline of events concerning Noah’s flood, with added insight as to what it might have been like to be in Noah’s shoes. Whether someone is an adult or a child, one quickly begins to feel as if they were there experiencing what Noah and his family went through. The artwork is so spectacular, one can almost sense the atmosphere, the anguish, the excitement and anxiety. Once inside the Ark, a feeling of awe creeps over the reader as the enormity and reality of this structure appears to grip one’s senses. This is not just a fantastic book for the whole family, but a coffee table witnessing book and a wonderful gift idea for non-Christians to challenge them concerning the truth of the Bible and the gospel.’ — Ken Ham, Executive Director of Answers in Genesis. The thrilling adventure of Noah comes to life through the dazzling, detailed illustrations and the exciting true story of Noah’s Ark. The images of the interior of Noah’s ark are like nothing you’ve ever seen before. The people and cities depicted here are certainly more advanced than what you’ve been led to believe – these people weren’t cavemen! They invented metals and musical instruments; they were skilled craftsmen; they built grand cities – all BEFORE the Flood. One caveat: the grand city pictured before the Flood is based on the author’s and artist’s imagination: while the Bible mentions cities being built, we have no description of them whatsoever from the Scriptures, and to my knowledge no remains of antediluvian cities have been uncovered -- they were destroyed completely by the Flood. Make sure your children know that we cannot know what the grand cities looked like, and what is pictured is as good a guess as any, due to the lack of evidence of their true appearance.
Introduce this book following Genesis chapter 9 and the conclusion of the story of Noah’s Flood.
 The Tower of Babel
Gloria Clanin & Lloyd R. Hight
A grandfather tells his grandchildren about the tower that was built in rebellion against God. As the tower is completed, God says — enough! He confuses all the languages, and life for everyone changes as they seek new homes. Great civilizations begin to emerge and different tribes and nations grow. Children learn that, regardless of our “race” (there is really only one race, the human race) color, or nationality, we are all part of one family, created by God in His image.
Introduce this book following Genesis chapter 11:1-9 and the conclusion of the story of the Tower of Babel.
 Life in the Great Ice Age
Michael & Beverly Oard
Dr. Michael Oard and his wife Beverly have presented in a narrative story format what life was like during the Ice Age after the Flood. Yes, there was an Ice Age; however, it did not occur millions of years ago. After the cataclysmic events of Noah’s Flood, the earth and its climate underwent drastic changes. The stage was set for the Great Ice Age. Noah’s descendants had to learn how to survive in a strange and often hostile land. Spend a summer with Jabeth and his family as they survive a saber-toothed tiger attack, battle a cave bear, and go on a woolly mammoth hunt. At the end of the story, Dr. Oard, a dedicated creation scientist specializing in meteorology, explains the scientific reasons for the Ice Age, how long it lasted, and discusses whether there will be another Ice Age in the future, and more, in an easy-to-understand manner. This book was chosen specifically to answer children’s questions and curiosity about Ice Age information presented in children’s history books.
Introduce this book following The Tower of Babel (above) or following Genesis chapter 11:1-9 and the conclusion of the story of the Tower of Babel.
Many, many, many more excellent resources and history books for children concerning the 2000+ years of pivotal history covered in Genesis, about such important topics as the reality of Noah’s Flood, what the ark really looked like, the Tower of Babel and the dispersion of peoples from there throughout the earth, etc. can be found at the Answers in Genesis Bookstore. We highly recommend their superior materials for learning about the true history of the beginning of mankind and civilization, and the relevance of Genesis to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which in turn will help develop a Biblical worldview in our children from an early age.
Job
Following the history of the Tower of Babel and the Ice Age (Genesis chapter 11:1-9) but before Genesis chapter 11:10-32, which begins the detailed history of Abraham, read the book of Job. If the arguments of the four friends make your children’s eyes glaze over, read that section from a Bible Storybook. Job was a Near Eastern patriarch who probably lived following the Tower of Babel while Ice Age conditions were prevalent in the north, but before Abraham. Remember that the events described in Life in the Great Ice Age and the events of Job were most likely taking place very close in time to one another, but in different locations on the earth, and with different people groups. Take note, especially, when God enters the conversation of the four friends from chapter 38 on, how God describes His power and majesty with examples from the created world. Notice that soon after the Babel dispersion, while some groups as depicted in Life in the Great Ice Age wore skins and hunted with stone tools, other groups (such as Job’s) used clay seals (38:14); made pottery, wore woven cloth garments, kept livestock, used millstones, had tools such as snares, hooks, leashes, harpoons, bridles; had weapons such as the sword, spear, dart, javelin, and arrow; and also used both bronze and iron. (Job expressed no wonderment when God mentions these things). The Stone Age -> Bronze Age -> Iron Age progression of ancient man commonly described in history books is in gross error, if God’s Word is true.
In Job chapter 38 God mentions snow, hail, and rain, phenomenon unknown before the Flood, and also ice and frozen lakes or other bodies of water, which was known to Job even in the tropical regions (by today’s standards) of the Near East because of the great extent of the Ice Age. Chapter 40 describes “behemoth”, a great grass-eating animal with powerful sinews and a tail like a cedar tree, one of the greatest trees of the Near East, probably a dinosaur of the sauropod family (such as brachiosaurus from Jurassic Park). Chapter 41 describes “leviathan”, a great sea-dwelling reptile who struck fear in the hearts of all who saw him. Leviathan had “terrible teeth”, scales so hard no sword or spear could pierce them, and fire which proceeded from his mouth (the source of fire-breathing dragon legends?). Scientists have discovered a marine dinosaur named kronosaurus, who was over 56 feet long (pace that out on your block!) with jaws over 10 feet long filled with teeth that were 10 inches in length. Truly, “Who can open the doors of his face, with his terrible teeth all around?” (Job 41:14). Again, Job expressed no wonderment at the mention of these animals alongside the wild donkey, the wild ox, the horse, the eagle, the hawk, and the ostrich, so he must have been familiar with all of them, including behemoth and leviathan.
Notice at the close of the book that Job lived 140 years, after the events described in the book! (This could be his length of years even after he gave inheritance to his 2nd group of grown daughters along with his sons.) He was already the father of a large family of many grown sons and daughters with many riches (which takes time to amass) before the events described in the book take place. Job may well have lived over 200 or 300 years altogether. Notice in the Genesis genealogies that for the first few generations after the Flood, mankind still had long lifespans, but each successive generation dwindled until by the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (~ 2000 BC), 140 years was old, and by the time of the Psalms (~ 1000 BC), 70-80 years was the common limit of man’s life (Psalm 90:10).
When you have concluded the book of Job, return to Genesis and proceed with the history of Abraham and his descendants beginning with chapter 11:10. A short study of Sumeria, the society from which Abraham was called, may also be undertaken at the close of Genesis chapter 11.
 Joseph
Brian Wildsmith
“The tale of the eleven brothers who sell their father’s favorite son into slavery is a story about envy, greed, and power, but also a story about love, compassion, and forgiveness. Above all, it is a story about the power and mercy of God as he draws a bitterly divided family back together and in the process changes the course of nations. In this spectacular retelling, Brian Wildsmith has created sweeping illustrations rich with brilliant colors and fascinating details, vividly depicting the vast deserts and the lavish architecture of ancient Egypt. With great heart and great imagination, Wildsmith brings the story of Joseph to life for a new generation of readers.”
Introduce this book at the end of your study of Genesis, to tie up the history of the patriarchs and introduce the next unit of study, Ancient Egypt.
Using the Online Catalog
 This online catalog is made possible through an association with Barnes&Noble.com. Clicking on the book title or book cover will take you to Barnes&Noble.com’s information page about that book. You can look at its price, availability, any discounts currently taken for that title, reviews of the book, and other information, as well as order it if you decide to purchase the book. You can even place books in your shopping cart and save them for purchase at a later time. You can continue to add or delete books from your shopping cart until you are satisfied with your order and ready to purchase. Clicking on any link to Barnes&Noble.com will open a new window; to return to CCH, click on the “Window” menu on your browser’s menu bar, and choose Classical Christian Homeschooling.
Locating Out of Print Books
Sometimes books go out of print, or the publisher runs out of stock. Any book not available from Barnes&Noble.com for any reason can be searched using AddAll.com, a book shopping site which will scan Barnes&Noble.com as well as Amazon.com, Powell’s Books, Book Close Outs and many other new and used book sites. Be sure to also check BookFinder.com for out of print book searches.
If all else fails, and you cannot find a book you need, check it out from the library, or request it from your library through interlibrary loan. Once you have the book home, take it to a copy store and copy it. You can even have color copies done of key maps or photographs. Copy stores can now do nice bindings on your copy projects. The U.S. Copyright Law contains a fair use provision which allows an educator to make a single copy of out of print (not in print) works if needed for use in teaching (not for profit or publication). Then return the book to the library, and you have your own book to keep, usually for less than it would be from a collector’s book shop.
Still have questions? Ask me!
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